Second Chance
by Krysana
Summary: Non yaoi, Iketani x Mako, Mako can't forget Iketani - could an unexpected meeting be an opportunity for a second chance? [Oneshot, Complete]


Second Chance  
An Initial D fan fiction  
By Krysana  
  
Disclaimer: Initial D belongs to Shigeno Shuichi.  
  
Pairing/s: Iketani/Mako  
  
Timeframe: About one year after they first met.  
  
Author's note: I've always been a fan of this couple - and I was so sad when they couldn't work it out in the series. I love being a fanficcer - I can give these two the happy ending I've always wanted and that they deserve!  
  
Thanks to MonteLukast my wonderful beta for her thoughts and comments. She's been removed from ff.net recently due to a complaint about one of her fics - but she'll be posting her work somewhere else soon, so please look out for her!

Updated thanks to Knightwolfe who rightly pointed out to me that Iketani drives a S13 (not a S14). Thank you so much! I don't know what I was thinking at all!  
  
.  
  
Takumi was puzzled.  
  
What was wrong with Iketani-sempai? Why wasn't he going over to serve the little red hatchback that had just pulled into the gas station where they worked?  
  
Iketani was standing there frozen, so Takumi shrugged and hurried over to help their customer.  
  
After he'd finished filling the car's tank, he stole a glance at his sempai as he wiped the back windscreen and noted that Iketani was still staring at the car. Takumi worked his way across the windscreen and into a better angle to surreptitiously look at his sempai.  
  
Iketani's face looked so woeful. Almost like the time nearly a year ago when he'd crashed his beloved S13 Silvia into the guardrail of Mt Akina.  
  
Takumi turned away to take payment for the gas and then directed the small red car onto the busy road.  
  
Iketani was still standing there.  
  
Takumi would have to ask Itsuki what was wrong with Iketani.  
  
---  
  
Mako sighed as she looked blankly at her computer monitor. Her office job was so boring.  
  
Sure, it sounded impressive. Her position was of assistant to the Personnel Manager. But all she did was type, file and bring her boss cups of tea when he requested them. Even after only a few months since she began, she was already bored.  
  
At least it paid the bills. Her Sileighty needed new tires and Mako had read about some new racing struts which might be nice to have too.  
  
Cars were costly but Mako wouldn't give it up for anything. She'd made a promise to herself after her race with Takumi Fujiwara that she wouldn't give up unless she was satisfied she'd done her best. There were still so many things she wanted to learn. Like better control of her car under pressure, and other things like learning how to fix her car.  
  
She knew the basics, but that time when her mother's little red Mira had broken down, she hadn't really known what to do. The car's problems had gone beyond her knowledge. It was lucky that she'd had help...  
  
She blinked to attention just a split second before her boss stopped at her desk.  
  
"Satou. Can you assist me in updating the files for the R&D manager applicants?"  
  
"Yes sir." Mako got up hastily, her daydreaming finished for the day.  
  
---  
  
Mako wandered along the main shopping mall of Matsuida. Work was over and she'd pleaded off joining her colleagues at the local bar by saying she had plans to meet a friend. She'd gotten smiles and heard the muttered comment, "Of course a pretty girl like Satou-san must have a boyfriend to meet."  
  
She'd smiled guiltily, however the resulting blush on her cheeks merely reinforced the fabrication.  
  
She had called Sayuki as soon as she got out of the office, but her Impact Blue co-driver was busy with her latest boyfriend. Sayuki had sounded so happy and Mako hadn't wanted to impose on her friend's budding relationship. Mako had made up an excuse about checking if Sayuki was free on the weekend and ended the call quickly.  
  
So that left Mako alone. She didn't feel like going home to her pokey little apartment with nothing to do but watch television and eat dinner all by herself.  
  
She'd moved to Matsuida to start her career, only a twenty minute drive from Usui. But she was so new to the city and her personality wasn't like Sayuki's. Mako had always had trouble making friends. She wasn't bubbly and fun. Sayuki constantly said she was too shy and timid, unless she was behind the wheel.  
  
All around her within the mall, she felt like she was surrounded by happy couples. Cute girls smiling up to their attentive boyfriends. Laughing together. Holding hands.  
  
She envied Sayuki in her relationship. 'Why can't I get a boyfriend?' she thought despondently.  
  
But she already knew the answer. In her hometown, Sayuki and she had been too well known. The famous girl racing team who were unbeatable on the challenging Usui pass.  
  
The local racing team, who consisted of all males, treated them like idols. Mako, they treated like a god, but Sayuki they joked around with. Sayuki was so outgoing, friendly and approachable. Maybe it was because the vivacious blonde wasn't the actual driver, they could feel comfortable in their own driving skills. But Mako was the driver behind Impact Blue's Sileighty...  
  
She found an empty bench in the mall and plopped down. All this useless pondering. She'd analysed it a million times in her head.   
  
The guys back home were just too much in awe of her driving skill (Did they even imagine how much effort she had put in to become that good? If only they would practice more, rather than try to do flashy moves to show off to the watching gallery of schoolgirls...) And no guy wanted to date a girl who could drive better than him, right?  
  
She'd made that mistake before. But why, oh why couldn't she get her mind off him... Iketani...  
  
He was such a nice guy. He'd stopped to help her when her mother's little car had broken down that time. Was it already twelve months ago?   
  
He'd been so knowledgeable and fixed her car in no time at all. She'd been impressed. So impressed, that she'd even pressed her phone number into his hand before she ran off.  
  
And Iketani had actually called her! They'd gone on a few dates - oh she'd been so happy last summer!  
  
She hid her driving skills until the time that Iketani saw her driving with Sayuki. Even after that, he hadn't seemed to mind that she was obviously a better driver than him. They'd continued dating and dare she say it, Iketani even seemed proud of her.  
  
He'd even organised a race against Takumi Fujiwara for her, even though she knew he wasn't keen to. She'd just wanted to race the newest star on the street racing scene before she retired. Yeah, she'd been so serious about Iketani that she'd been willing to give up racing for him. She'd even promised him her virginity for organising the race...  
  
But then it had happened. She'd asked him to meet her at the spot where they had first met. She'd wanted to confess her true feelings and take their relationship to the next level.  
  
Iketani never came.  
  
And that was the end of her summer romance. Sayuki had been indignant on her behalf. Mako had given up on making excuses for him after the days turned into weeks and later into months. She'd kept waiting and then before she knew it, it'd been too late to try to contact him in return.  
  
Why was she still thinking about him after all this time?  
  
Even now, she blushed when she thought about him. She'd really liked him. Actually she still liked him. Even after she'd been hurt so badly by him, she still thought about him constantly. She was so stupid. Why couldn't she just get over him and get on with her life?  
  
'But he was the first boy who accepted you as you were,' her inner voice whispered, 'and understood about how much racing meant to you. He never asked you to give it up when you started dating.'  
  
She frowned at the ground in front of her, leaning her crossed arms over her bag on her lap to stare at the small black spot on the pavement as if it held all the answers to her problems.  
  
Someone sat down next to her but Mako didn't look up.  
  
Until something pulled at her long hair.  
  
"Ga!" It was such a cute baby sound that Mako couldn't help smiling as she sat up.  
  
"Iketani!" The name fell from her lips as Mako's eyes widened at the shock of Iketani with a baby on his lap.  
  
"Mako-chan!" Iketani also seemed incapable of speech.  
  
'Kami-sama! He has a baby?!' Mako stared at the baby as he happily began to chew on the ends of her hair as the two stared at each other.  
  
"Stop it Kyou-chan! Let go of that!" Iketani broke out of their trance first as he reached to disentangle the baby's fingers on Mako's hair.  
  
"Ouch!" Mako winced as the baby redoubled his efforts to stay attached to her hair.  
  
She reached up to help in the baby-hand-removal task and her hand brushed against Iketani's as he gently pulled Kyou's little hands away.  
  
Mako couldn't prevent her blush from the unexpected contact. She tried to suppress it by telling herself 'Look he's obviously gotten over you if he has a kid. My god, in such a fast period. Just behave normally and maybe this chance encounter will turn out to be a good thing for you to get over Iketani once and for all.'  
  
Mako pasted a smile on her face, her feelings bittersweet. Delight from seeing Iketani again - he looked well, though his hair was a little ragged over his ears, he needs a haircut soon she thought. Bitterness from thoughts of the mother of the dark-haired baby sitting on his lap. Joy for the cuteness of the baby with its silky hair and big brown eyes staring solemnly up at her.  
  
"Your baby is so cute. How old is he?" Mako concentrated her attention on the little boy. It was suddenly very hard to talk normally as she tried to swallow the lump in her throat.  
  
"Aa, Kyou-chan is 8 months on the 25th. Aren't you chibi-chan?" Iketani tickled the baby resulting in happy gurgling noises from the delighted infant.  
  
"I'm sure his mother is very proud of him." Mako's tone was wistful as she stroked the baby's soft cheek. Iketani was such a natural father. How could she have been so stupid to let him go without a second try?  
  
She suddenly couldn't stand the self-pity welling inside her any longer and was reaching for her bag when Iketani's words stopped her.  
  
"I'm sure she is, but my aunt can also tell you lots of naughty stories about this little one. Like how he wouldn't stop crying in the store so my aunt and mother asked me to bring him out here so they could finish their shopping quickly."  
  
"Your aunt?" Mako stopped breathing as she waited for the return answer.  
  
"Yeah, this is my newest little cousin." Iketani paused as he realised what Mako might have been thinking. "You didn't think this was my baby, did you?"  
  
"Ano..." Mako's stammered beginning of a denial was interrupted by the happy shout from Kyou.  
  
"Were you a good boy for Kouichirou?" Iketani's aunt and mother rushed up to them.  
  
Iketani stood up and passed the baby back to his aunt. "He's always good for me." He patted the baby's soft hair and Kyou cooed happily.   
  
Mako stood up, trying to make herself invisible. She'd just sneak off to the side while Iketani was busy.  
  
Well that was the plan anyway. Except no one had told Kyou about it. He started to scream as she moved away from him. His little hands reaching out for her long black hair.  
  
"This is my friend Satou-san." Iketani introduced her as the two older women looked at her. Mako smiled weakly. "My mother and aunt."  
  
"Nice to meet you Satou-san," his mother said, closely echoed by his aunt.  
  
"Nice to meet you." Mako bowed politely.  
  
"Kou, we need to get some stuff for this little one now. Why don't you stay with your friend for a little while longer?" Iketani's mother pointed out where they were headed and the three departed.  
  
As Iketani turned towards her, Mako noticed an almost conspiratorial look pass between the two departing older women. It made her blush again.  
  
"Mako-san, do you have time to have a drink with me?" Iketani looked a little embarrassed too. "I understand if you're busy and need to go somewhere."  
  
'This is a dream, isn't it?" thought Mako. 'Any minute now, I'll be waking up..."  
  
"Ano... Mako-san?" Iketani looked anxious now.  
  
Mako blinked. This was real. Her left foot had a slight ache from the high-heeled shoes she needed to wear to the office. And she could feel the plaited straps of her bag pressing against her fingers.  
  
"I'd like that." She smiled shyly and was gratified to see the relief spread on Iketani's face.  
  
They walked together to a coffee shop and if asked later, Mako couldn't remember what she ordered.  
  
They sat by the window. The silence hanging between them, as the memories flooded back to each of them.  
  
After what seemed an eon of time, Mako couldn't stop herself from asking the burning question in her mind. "Iketani... I need to know... Why didn't you come?"  
  
Iketani, it seemed had been waiting for her question. "At first, I wasn't going to come. I mean, there's no way I could even hope to compete against a guy like Ryousuke Takahashi for your attentions."  
  
"But Ryousuke is unattainable. He's just an idol. All the girls were crazy about him." Mako smiled sadly.  
  
"When I accidentally saw a photo of him in your wallet when we were at the pool that time, I don't know, I just felt so inadequate. I know you're a great driver and everything. I wondered why you'd want to hang around with a guy like me." Iketani's shoulder's slumped slightly.  
  
"Iketani..." Mako wondered briefly how much courage it had taken to say that to her. To admit he thought so lowly of himself.  
  
"I just couldn't imagine that a great girl like you would want to be with me. But then it was pointed out to me that you had asked ME to meet you, and how much courage it had taken for you to ask me, I was coming to meet you that day.. But then there was a huge traffic accident on the highway and when I got to the meeting spot, you were gone."  
  
"I waited for nearly two hours..." Mako whispered.  
  
"I'm sorry. When you weren't there, I just took it as a sign from God, that we weren't meant to be together. I wanted to call you... But I didn't know what to say... And then time just kept passing and before I knew it, it was too late to call you." Iketani's clasped fingers around his coffee mug, showed white at the knuckles.  
  
"Iketani, you're a great guy. I really wanted to be with you. You were the first boy who wasn't scared by my driving. You didn't ask me to give up racing and you weren't just interested in me for my body..." Mako trailed off embarrassedly.  
  
Iketani flushed in remembrance too.  
  
"Mako-chan, you shouldn't have to give up your body just for a car race. Any guy who'd ask that of you!" Iketani frowned in anger at the thought.  
  
"It has happened though. Sayuki and I had to fight hard to win acceptance for our driving." Mako remembered the insolent sneers from guys who thought they were better than her. She'd shown them.  
  
They sat there for a moment, absorbing each other's words.  
  
"Ano... Mako-chan, I mean Mako-san." Iketani cleared his throat nervously.  
  
"You can call me Mako-chan." Mako peered up at Iketani before looking down into her cup again. "I like it."  
  
Iketani's lips were pulling into a smile and if his ears were becoming slightly flushed, it was mostly hidden under his hair.  
  
"Mako-chan then, I have a question for you." Iketani sounded a little uncertain. "Why me? I'm sure there are tons of other guys out there who are better racers than me, who'd kill to have you as their girlfriend."  
  
"Iketani, why do you think you're such a bad catch? You're a great guy. You accepted my driving as part of me and helped me race Takumi even when you didn't want to. You've got so much knowledge about how a car works, and helped me when I was stuck that time. You're a gentleman and never tried to take advantage of me..."  
  
"I'd never do that to a girl!" Iketani stated emphatically. His cheeks were turning pink at her words.  
  
"You're the best racer on Akina after Takumi aren't you? I remember you telling me that."  
  
"Well... yeah..."  
  
"And you have a team of, how many? Ten? Twenty? Guys who look up to you, and whom you help nurture to become the best they can become. You're a great leader to those guys."  
  
By this time, Iketani was speechless and staring into his cup too.  
  
Mako's cheeks felt permanently flushed. This was it. Her opportunity for a second chance.   
  
She could see Iketani's shyness rising and thought back to one of Sayuki's comments from the summer, "You're both so shy, you'll probably never manage to kiss!"  
  
So Mako took a deep breath and reached over to peel one of Iketani's hands off his mug and hold onto it tightly.  
  
"And you're a cute hardworking guy who cares about people."  
  
Iketani looked up startled and their eyes met. Uncertainty turned to hope, and Iketani smiled as he reversed the positions of their clasped hands so his larger hand cradled hers gently.  
  
It was at that moment, Takumi stopped at a red light at the intersection outside the cafe. He nodded to himself. Iketani-sempai didn't look woeful anymore. And he'd always liked Mako and her friend Sayuki. Itsuki had been way wrong about Iketani's mood due to jealousy of Project D. Iketani-sempai would never be like that. Takumi sped off as the lights changed to green, unnoticed by the two reunited lovers.

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- The End -

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Like it? Hate it? Pls let me know! 


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